


You only get one

by SonicGavel



Category: Fake News RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Soulmates AU, two character deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 11:14:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21098546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicGavel/pseuds/SonicGavel
Summary: Jon and Stephen are soulmates when tethered after Stephen starts going to Hampden in '82, Jon's sophomore year at William and Mary. Stephen feels the tether and his heart feels empty even after Paul and Amy save him from considering suicide. When he and Jon meet years later and finds out the tether was due to their love of science fiction, Jon is torn by whether or not to cut it because Stephen's married to Evie at this point but Evie wants Stephen to be with his soulmate. However, Jon decides to cut the tether and block the feelings completely, but not until Stephen gets a letter stating Jon's rejection.





	You only get one

**Author's Note:**

> My first Stewbert angst, I really hope you enjoy.

James and Lorna were soulmates. Stephen always believed in soulmates considering James and Lorna was basically a love story to him. Even when James, Paul and Peter were killed. He believed he could find what James and Lorna did before it was lost. So when he found a tug when he moved to Virginia, that and the crushing realization he had no father the last 8 years of his life, were the reason he couldn't eat. He searched and searched until the pull went away two years later. Four years after that, he was in Second City and his heart was emptier than it was before Hampden. Paul and Amy were a distraction, even when Paul pretended to stab him on that one trip they took together. Stephen chuckled a little.

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Even when Stephen met the woman who would have his children, he never felt whole. Though he did kinda feel a tug that she knew the potential soulmate. When she showed him the pic of a man she had met three years before she'd met Stephen, he knew that had to be the guy.

"But your catholicism." Evie said. Stephen shook his head.

"Evelyn, I'm surprised at you. Catholics can keep their faith and still love men romantically. Though maybe I'll create a moron someday that thinks otherwise. Until then, I gotta meet him." Stephen said.

"I don't even know where he lives." Evie said. She was very apologetic and Stephen knew she was. So he decided to stay with Evie, had Maddie and Peter and he worked on SWC and TDS. Then TDS got a new host. That day he snuck into the press conference, the tether was strong and he could tell the host was too. The host was none other than Jon. The Jon he saw years ago in a photo.

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Jon's parents were NOT soulmates. Jon and Larry found out the hard way. Jon resented Donald when the older man walked out after schtoping his secretary, who happened to be his true soulmate. Since then, he's had no use for soulmates. He slept around in high school and college, but then by the time he was in his sophomore year at William and Mary, he felt his heart begin to tug and tether for his better half. Jon fought it, afraid he'd turn into his father. So when he graduated, he never looked for the tether and he turned his back on Virginia. As the years progressed, he did stand-up, did Short Attention Span theater, met Evie at a movie premiere, gave her his number, but she must've lost it over the years. She never even sent a letter. But after The Jon Stewart Show was cut and he became host of The Daily Show, there was that tether again. And it tightened when the heart attached to said tether spoke.

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"Stephen Colbert with The Daily Show, with you replacing Craig Kilborn as host of The Daily Show, what does that do to my chances of hosting The Daily Show?" Stephen asked in his most sincerely funny way he could. Jon started giggling and made a remark that made Stephen's heart jump for joy and an erection begin to form.

"I thought you said he wasn't funny." Jon said to Craig, who just shrugged his shoulders and gave Stephen a thumbs up. Days later, Jon and Stephen began to get to know each other.

"So you're my soulmate?" Jon asked. It felt wonderful to Stephen for Jon to acknowledge that Stephen was his soulmate.

"Yes, I've been searching for you since I felt you my Freshman year in Hampden and I'm bursting that I found you." Stephen said. Jon felt sorry for Stephen, but he wasn't interested.

"Stephen, I'm not interested in a soulmate right now." Jon said.

"Is it because we're both guys? Because I don't mind it and I'm catholic. I'll do anything to keep this." Stephen said.

"Stephen, I have a bad history with soulmates. I just don't think we'd work. Maybe in the future." Jon said. Stephen's heart began to ache, but he at least had the hope of "Maybe in the future". So they only ate lunch once a week to learn more about each other. Jon learned that Stephen got into scifi and fantasy after James's death. Stephen learned about Donald and how Jon got into Scifi to block out the pain of the divorce and Donald pretty much abandoning him and Larry. Jon was beginning to understand Stephen's side of the soulmate thing when Tracey happened. He thought more about Tracey than he did Stephen and eventually, the tether was cut off completely between him and Stephen, unbeknownst to Stephen. Stephen tried and tried to get Jon's attention with the tether until Jon wrote a letter.

"Stephen, I do understand your side of the soulmate thing. And I have begun to feel something for you. But I'm sorry. I met someone else. Her name is Tracey and she's fun to hang out with. Just as much as you but there's something about her. You know? Like what you have for Evie and with her. I want what you and Evie have, but with Tracey. I'm sorry, Stephen. But I've got to block the tether." The letter wrote. Stephen's heart soon started breaking and he couldn't breathe. He didn't want to eat, didn't want to do anything. He collapsed to the ground and went into a catatonic state, never eating or drinking.

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"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO STEPHEN?!" Evie was the first to scream at Jon. "He's a WRECK and he REFUSES to do ANYTHING!" Evie said. Jon defended his decision, stating his happiness with Tracey.

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"You're sentencing him to death, buddy." Amy said, wanting to deck Jon. Paul kept her from doing so.

"Look, Jon. Amy and I were soulmates and decided to part ways after 8 years of dating because it was mutual. But what you did to Stephen was one-sided and though Stephen'd have respected your space, I know him. He wanted someone that was gonna fill his heart finally. Evie would only have been able to fill it one part of the way." Paul explained. Jon still stood his ground. That is, until Tracey stepped in.

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"Jon, you need to go to him." Tracey said one night two years later when news broke that Stephen was dying of his pain. "You gotta open the tether one last time." Tracey added.

"But I love you more." Jon said.

"Jon, do you know why I don't have a soulmate?" Tracey asked.

"No." Jon said. Tracey then sat next to him on the bed.

"When I was seven, a boy in my class was found to be my soulmate. I didn't like him at the time, and also, I didn't understand soulmates. So I blocked out the tether. A few days later, the kid seemingly caught pneumonia but it was later discovered his tether was blocked and I found out I was the blocker. Don't make the same mistake I did, Jon. You'll never outlive it." Tracey said as she walked out of the room. Jon then got out of bed, got dressed and wen to see Stephen.

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Stephen was coughing, wheezing and his heart was breaking harder. He knew it was definitely the end. Right then, Jon was sitting in a chair next to his deathbed.

"Is this what a tether-blocking does to someone?" Jon asked, shocked at how badly Stephen's body's broken down.

"Especially if it's non-consensual." Stephen said with a cough. Jon took Stephen's hand and began to hold it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd suffer like this." Jon said.

"It's okay, my mom suffered much worse than this and it wasn't because my dad wanted to disassemble." Stephen sighed and Jon squeezed his hand. In doing so, the tether was opened again and Stephen was in even more pain. Jon could feel it too. The years of catatonia, the lack of eating, the emotional pain, it was all in that one mistake Jon made. A mistake that Jon had realized for the first time was a huge one to begin with.

"I love you and I hate myself. I should've known I need you and you need me." Jon said and Stephen began to cry.

"Don't say that. Don't hate yourself, you weren't sure. And Tracey happened. I don't blame either of you, the heart wants what it wants." Stephen was beginning to fade and the tether was weakening. Stephen took a few breaths.

"If I could have the chance to relive this life to have more time with you, I would." Stephen said.

"If I could have the chance to relive this life to have more time with you, I would." Jon repeated before he kissed Stephen. He knew he wouldn't have any time left with him and would regret it if he didn't get to kiss him. Upon kissing him, Stephen's heart gave out and everything stopped. Soon, Jon's heart abruptly stopped and he immediately died from heartbreak, something that became instant as Stephen's own heartbreak.

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James and Lorna were soulmates. Stephen always believed in soulmates considering James and Lorna was basically a love story to him. Even when James, Paul and Peter were killed. He believed he could find what James and Lorna did before it was lost. So when he found a tug when he moved to Virginia, that and the crushing realization he had no father the last 8 years of his life, were the reason he couldn't eat. He searched and searched until one Saturday, he was strolling through a park not too far from the campus soccer field was and saw a young man with wild fruffy hair practicing kicking field goals into the nets at the field.

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Jon's parents were NOT soulmates. Jon and Larry found out the hard way. Jon resented Donald when the older man walked out after schtoping his secretary, who happened to be his true soulmate. Since then, he's had no use for soulmates. He slept around in high school and college, but then by the time he was in his sophomore year at William and Mary, he felt his heart begin to tug and tether for his better half. Jon fought it, afraid he'd turn into his father, until that persistent pull made him stop one day while he was kicking and saw the young strapping boy he had thought he had seen before but shook his head while he decided one Saturday to practice before a big Soccer game at a soccer field he'd never been to. Jon blushed when he saw Stephen watching him and Stephen blushed when he was caught watching Jon. Jon walked over and talked to him.

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Jon was Stephen's first real kiss, they made love the night before Jon graduated from William and Mary and they continued writing even when Stephen joined Second City, met Evie who he became a sperm donor to for the kids and when they started working on The Daily Show together. Even when Stephen said that famous line to him, Jon kissed Stephen deeply and everyone was shocked but understood right then that this was their disclosure. They never bickered except for 2001 when Jon said he just was gonna reschedule Al Sharpton and Stephen didn't need to miss Fellowship of the Ring but the producers insisted, and Jon apologized, promising to make it up to Stephen and Stephen didn't care as long as he got to make him laugh.

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Even when Stephen got his own show, Jon fought to keep Stephen in New York because he didn't want to go a day without being close to him. They'd have lunch together. The work dynamic was professional but just as personal. It was respectable and no one judged. Especially by 2011 when New York recognized same sex marriage. Jon proposed to Stephen on The Colbert Report and Stephen broke character to smash his mouth to Jon's, Jon smiling brighter than the sun the deeper Stephen kissed Jon. Jon's kids with Tracey, who was Jon's roommate until 2008, came out with Evie, Maddie, Peter and John and congratulated the two.

Their hearts tugged harder than before as they rode into the sunset that night after filming.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think by commenting.


End file.
